SALISBURY, N.C. – The USC Aiken men's soccer team could not emerge with a victory in their first road game of the 2010 regular season, falling 3-1 to Catawba in non-conference men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon at Frock Field.

The loss drops the Pacers to 0-2 on the young season, while Catawba improves to 2-0 on the year with the win over the Pacers. The win by the Indians avenged a lopsided 7-0 victory over Catawba by the Pacers during the 2009 season at the "Pacer Pit." Last year's win by the Pacers over Catawba was the third-largest in school history.

Catawba scored the first goal on the game in the 25^th-minute when Deon Cuffie-Joseph sent a low cross towards Corey Faughnan, who then placed the ball into the back of the net to give the Indians an early 1-0 lead.

The goal would be the last of the first half as the two teams would enter intermission with the score, 1-0, in Catawba's favor.

Catawba's Carson Smith scored just six minutes into the second stanza to put the Indians ahead 2-0 off an assist by Ezra Ntirugelegwa. The goal was the second for Smith in the 2010 season.

The Indians added another 12 minutes later at the 63:11 mark when Spencer Preston scored off a cross from Matt Gallagher.

In the 75^th-minute the Pacers would earn one back when Carson Villa (Savannah, Ga./Benedictine Military School) connected on a Schevon Joseph (Grenada, W.I./Happy Hill Secondary School) corner kick to place the Pacers behind just two at 3-1.

The Pacers would keep pressing down the stretch to try and net two more goals in the final 15 minutes, but the late tally by Villa would prove to be all that the Pacers could muster in the two-goal loss to the Indians.

For the second straight game, USC Aiken despite losing played an even game with their foe statistically as Catawba finished with just five more shots than the Pacers at 15-10. Catawba held a slight 7-6 advantage in corner kicks opportunities.   

USC Aiken returns home next for a match against Coker at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The game will be the second game of a men's and women's soccer twinbill at the "Pacer Pit" with the USC Aiken women scheduled to open their 2010 campaign against Belmont Abbey at 5 p.m.